Your Food and You: Zinc

Your Food and You: Zinc

Zinc needed by every cell in the body. New tissue growth requires zinc, as it strengthens cell membranes! It is vital for optimal health. Zinc plays a role in:

Immunity, wound healing

Fertility, reproduction, and maintaining testosterone levels

Balancing blood sugar

Digestion of carbohydrates, protein and fats

Cell division, growth and repair

Nervous system

Brain function

Smell, taste, perception and appetite

Not getting enough?

Zinc levels are reduced by physical and emotional stress. Some research suggests that deficiency may be linked to neuropsychiatric disorders such as:

Epilepsy

Multiple sclerosis

Huntington’s disease

Acute psychosis

Schizophrenia

Dementia / Alzheimer’s

Depression

ADD

The most common reason for deficiency is usually a lack of dietary intake, reduced absorption from the intestine or increase needs due to injury or illness.

Who should consider a supplement?

Since zinc is fairly easy to get through diet, most people do not need a supplement. Signs and symptoms of deficiency include poor appetite, loss of taste, diarrhea, vomiting, night blindness, hair loss and poor wound healing. Individuals who may want to consider a supplement include vegetarians, as well as people recovering from injury.

To learn more about how much you zinc you need and how to get zinc through food, check out our Fact Sheet below!

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